Small | Pod | Apartments | Trend

For folks who choose the lifestyle known as “pod apartments,” less is more.

William Esque doesn’t host a lot of parties these days. It’s not that Esque is some sort of antisocial scrooge. Rather, it’s that Esque, who works at Boeing Co. as an intern and lives in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood, probably would have to ask most invitees to cool their heels in the hallway outside of his 250-square-foot apartment. “Having people over is always a great laugh,” he says. “It can be claustrophobic if I reach a party of three.”

Now don’t start feeling sorry for Esque — he certainly doesn’t pine for a sprawling McMansion. For one thing, while his apartment is the size of a hotel room, it also happens to be new and fully furnished with a bed, a table, a chair, a bookshelf and a wardrobe. It’s a pretty handy setup for Esque, who moved to Seattle from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., last summer — after graduating from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University — without carting along a truckload of stuff. Just steps from his door is a common kitchen and an on-site laundry. Even better, Esque’s building — appropriately called Footprint Wallingford and filled with units smaller than 300 square feet — is in the heart of the city and easy walking distance from a cornucopia of restaurants, cafés and shops. “Having a small place almost pushes you out the door to see the bigger world,” Esque says. “Other than commuting to work, I can park the car for the weekend.”

Best of all, living small allows a recent college graduate like Esque to actually dwell in one of the most desirable and bustling neighborhoods of one of America’s most expensive cities. Indeed, instead of shelling out the typical $1,200 per month, plus another $200 for utilities, that a studio apartment can cost in that area of the city, Esque pays only $945 per month, everything included. “It fit my budget and, as an intern, the price point was perfect,” he says.